One idea getting tossed around in light of the news that Jake Peavy has tried to sell the White Sox on his former Padres teammate is that the Pale Hose could part with Gordon Beckham in exchange for Adrian Gonzalez.
White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, though, doesn’t see it happening:
“Right now, the expectation about this guy and that guy, I like the team we have,” he told the Chicago Sun-Times. “We have a general manager [in Ken Williams] who keeps things quiet, thank God. And when he makes deals, it’s for a reason. But we plan to have Gordon for a long time. I don’t see why people are still talking about it.”
And Guillen is right. There’s been nothing to suggest that the White Sox and Padres have even talked recently. A Gonzalez trade isn’t expected to happen until midseason at the earliest, and it’s highly unlikely that the White Sox would surrender Beckham for him in any case.
But let’s just say there is some truth to the rumor. Would it be worth it for the White Sox to surrender Beckham for Gonzalez?
As a straight-up deal, it might work well for both. The White Sox shouldn’t have to surrender any additional talent at all. Beckham, the eighth overall pick in the 2008 draft, may already be the team’s best player, and while I don’t see him developing into a true superstar, he’s going to be a well above average regular for a long time and an All-Star in his best seasons. He’s also under control for six years, and he’ll be dirt cheap for the next three.
Gonzalez, though, isn’t very expensive himself. One of the game’s biggest bargains, he’ll receive just $10.25 million over the course of an the two seasons he has left before free agency. He’d be a monster for the White Sox after going from baseball’s toughest home run parks to one of its very best. His road OPSs the last three years are 928, 946 and 1045, and he’s hit 70 homers in 961 at-bats. He’d seem to be a lock for 40 homers in U.S. Cellular, and he’d also be a nice upgrade defensively from Paul Konerko at first base.
But it’s not going to happen. Beckham won’t be on the table, and without him, it’s doubtful the White Sox will be able to put together the best offer the Padres will have to choose from should they make Gonzalez available.